HUNTSVILLE, Alabama-- As the days of summer dwindle and as school supplies start to disappear from store shelves, members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama will be well prepared for their first day of school.

The Boys & Girls Clubs wrapped up its first Reading Academy on Thursday and held a commencement ceremony at the Oscar Mason Community Center on Tuesday to celebrate the students' success.

With help from the Huntsville Housing Authority and The Rock Family Worship Center, more than 90 kids in grades K-3 participated in the program.

Shea Brennaman, a Grissom High School senior, said she saw an "overwhelming desire to read" from the students she tutored. Their daily goal was to read as many books as they could, she said.

"I was surprised, because when I was that age, I remember I could not sit down to read a book," Brennaman said. "They're sweet and extremely bright, and I enjoyed working with every one of them."

Over the course of the eight-week program, more than 50 percent of kindergartners increased their first sound fluency skills, while more than 60 percent of first-graders increased their ability to break down words into their individual sounds, club officials said. Fifty-four percent of second-grade students increased their oral reading fluency and 66 percent of third-graders increased their ability to identify sight words.

Most of the students benefiting from the program are from University Place Elementary, Morris Elementary and Ridgecrest Elementary, all of which serve a high percentage of low-income, minority students.

"We had some kids who had trouble reciting the alphabet, and now they're leaving saying letter sounds. They've really improved," said Jessica Lynn, one of five teachers who helped with the program. "It takes a lot of discipline for kids to come during their summer vacation and actually sit still and read a book. I was very impressed with all of these kids. They're precious and so eager to learn."

April Isom, a part-time English teacher at Hampton Cove Middle School and Huntsville High School, said she was excited to see the growth reflected in the test results and hopes that more parents will involve their children in the program.

"The main goal is to get kids to love reading. If they love reading, they're going to keep reading and if they keep reading, they're going to be able to comprehend more."

Because the reading program yielded such success in its inaugural year, Patrick Wynn, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs, said the goal is to provide the program during the next school year.

"There will be a kid 10 years from now that says, 'I remember that reading program I went to, and it taught me a love for reading.' That's priceless," Wynn said.